17of19Students get a chance at feeding "Frito Pie", a ferret, as Animal Care Services officer Josie Espinoza brings her Furry Friends after school program to Wilson Elementary on Feb. 10, 2020.Photo: Tom Reel, San Antonio Express-News / Staff photographer

18of19Students get a chance at feeding "Frito Pie", a ferret, as Animal Care Services officer Josie Espinoza brings her Furry Friends after school program to Wilson Elementary on Feb. 10, 2020.Photo: Tom Reel, San Antonio Express-News / Staff photographer

19of19Students get a chance at feeding "Frito Pie", a ferret, as Animal Care Services officer Josie Espinoza brings her Furry Friends after school program to Wilson Elementary on Feb. 10, 2020.Photo: Tom Reel, San Antonio Express-News / Staff photographer

Loki was intrigued by the cell phone attached to a tripod.

He didn’t know he was live on the internet. But the black dog with the intelligent eyes sat politely between Animal Care Services pet trainers Hannah Barrera and Kaitlan Helton in the ACS conference room, as they answered questions about everything from how much to feed a chubby indoor dog to whether a cat can really be trained.

Each Friday at 3 p.m., Barrera and Helton bring in a dog, cat or other animal, offering tips and engaging in a Q-and-A with the community via a new Facebook live show.

Loki was just one recent guest. On another Friday, the guest pet was Jelly, a lively great Dane mix. Alfredo the Cat was supposed to be on the half-hour show, too, but he couldn’t make it; he had just been adopted.

With coronavirus restrictions in place, the ACS community education team members had to quickly rethink their outreach programs, which previously included lots of in-person visits such as addressing civic groups at forums and making trips to schools, talking about the benefits and responsibilities of pet ownership and the importance of treating animals with care and respect.

Over the last few weeks that stay-at-home orders have been in place, the team has ramped up the agency’s presence on social media, including Instagram and Twitter as well as the live Facebook program.

ACS spokeswoman Lisa Norwood said said the education team has also added a weekly blog on the agency’s website that talks about educational issues, not only for animal lovers, but for the community at large.

“It’s a reflection of what’s going on in the community,” Norwood said. “ACS has had to change how we do things in light of the coronavirus. It’s about changing how we reach out to people.”

On Facebook, the team has added SA Pet Parents where neighbors help neighbors — residents with a question about their pets can get answers from fellow community members.

Barrera, 28, and Helton, 26, said many of the questions revolve around common issues such as barking, jumping and potty training.

Helton said separation anxiety in dogs is what she is most concerned as a result of the pandemic. She said signs that a dog has severe anxiety can include breaking through a gate or gnawing on their own leg.

Helton said with everyone being home all the time, dogs have become accustomed to being around people. When it’s safe for residents to return to work, and dogs are left home alone again, they may display unease.

“Most of that can be combated by exercising your dog regularly,” Helton said, “and getting them physical and mental simulation.”

Prior to the days of the virus, the team members brought their Furry Friends Program to elementary schools. It was one of several pet education programs from San Antonio organizations, including the San Antonio Humane Society, Daisy Cares and the Pet Education Project.

In early March, before the pandemic hit San Antonio, ACS officer Josie Espinoza was wrapping up a five-week after school course with 125 kids at Wilson Elementary. Espinoza taught the youngsters from kindergarten to fifth grade about responsible pet ownership, explained dog behavior and showed them how to prevent dog bites.

One one of the last days, she arrived with Officer Frito Pie, a frisky ferret. The students rushed up to get a glimpse of the dusky-colored ambassador from ACS.

After one look, Aethen Aguilar, 9, decided the shelter’s representative looked more like a mix of raccoon and fox rather than a member of the weasel family. Espinoza pointed out that animals like Frito Pie require a lot of work, just like the children’s more traditional domestic pets.

During Espinoza’s in-person classes, she’s witnessed her lessons taking hold. One day, she brought Avocado, a stuffed toy dog with a microchip. She scanned it to show how the electronic chip barely a half inch long could help locate a lost pet. When they asked “Miss, can we touch her?” Espinoza smiled because they had asked permission before touching someone else’s pet. Just as she’d taught them.

“We’re excited to able to capture the kids attention about what an animal shelter does and why we do what we do,” Espinoza said of the course she hopes to resume in the fall. “We’re helping them understand the importance of taking care of an animal and the safety involved with wildlife.”

Since the shelter-in-place order, Espinoza hasn’t been able to meet with her young charges in person, but she has developed new online educational materials that include word searches, puzzles and coloring pages for all ages.

Vincent T. Davis started at the San Antonio Express-News in 1999 as a part-time City Desk Editorial Assistant working nights and weekends while attending San Antonio College and working on the staff of the campus newspaper, The Ranger. He completed a 3-month fellowship from the Freedom Forum Diversity Institute at Vanderbilt University in 2003 and earned his bachelors degree in communication design from Texas State University in 2006.